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"Early [Saturday] morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a funding bill that environmentalists say amounts to the biggest attack on clean air and clean water in recent history.

H.R. 1, the continuing resolution offered by House Republicans to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year, passed by a vote of 235-189. Only three Republicans joined all the Democrats in voting no.

American Lung Association President and CEO Charles Connor called the bill 'a severe assault on the health of all Americans.' ...

'The American Lung Association calls on the Senate to recognize that, as passed by the House, H.R. 1 is toxic to public health,' said Connor. 'The Senate must start from scratch and recognize that tough fiscal choices can be made without jeopardizing public health.'

H.R. 1 slashes the budget of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by one-third and prevents the agency from acting to reduce carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants from coal-fired power plants and oil refineries, a regulatory program that began January 2.